This collection houses a rag-tag assembly of short stories about Captain America from different artists and writers that take place in a variety of settings. I almost left it out of the blog because it spans a very wide range of timespans. With the recent Hollywood treatment, much of the public is aware of Cap's background even if they aren't comic fans. I wanted to hit on Captain America's WWII experience and subsequent re-awakening in the Marvel universe without dwelling on it too much, since I'm not a huge fan. This collection I found at the library seemed like the perfect fit.
It started off well with an origin story by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, two blockbuster creators in the comic world. Several of the stories were done very well. There were multiple chapters involving children that hit the right notes to tug at the heartstrings.
However there were several 'what if?' stories that strayed so far from the original mythos that it simply left the reader puzzled at how it could possibly fit in, and some so stylistically dark that it seemed strained and forced.
The last sections are reprints and other stories revolving around the much-publicized death of Captain America. Having not followed recent C.A. storylines, I was very confused at which stories were cannon and which were alternate tellings of his death. The bits focusing on the reaction of Cap's friends and the public to his death were also equal parts touching and choppy, leaving me both nicely touched by a tragic storyline but also annoyed at the lack of cohesiveness and continuity.
More a tribute than any sort of story or theme, I tentatively gave this "graphic novel" a positive review for some great artwork and diversity of style, but hated it personally for having no chronology or meaning.
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